Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

We arrived at Viridian City late in the afternoon after a long day of road dust and being mocked by Oddish, only to find a line of people waiting to enter the walled city. Pokemon hunters, bug catchers, travellers and trainers, we all lined up to wait for our turn.

"What's going on?" I'd asked a bug catcher, his handcart loaded up with caged catterpie.

"Someone smuggled a Magmar into the city," the bug catcher told me before moving off to join the line.

As I took my spot in line, well behind a Ponyta-drawn cart of Sentret pelts, I pulled out my Pokedex and accessed the Indigo Pokémon League's InfoNet or, as it was more commonly known, the PokeNet.

Magmar in Viridian, I typed into the search bar.

Kanto Liberation Front Demonstration Interrupted by Rogue Magmar

That looked promising. I clicked the link and read through the brief article. A group calling themselves the Kanto Liberation Front had been protesting Viridian textiles being sent as aid to the Sinnoh region when a trainerless Magmar had rampaged through the crowd, killing three and severely injuring several others before local police had stopped it. Law enforcement was currently investigating how the Pokemon had entered the city and security had been put on high alert.

I gazed up at the wall meant to keep civilization safe and noted the men and women patrolling above, crossbows slung over their backs. While Pallet had had its simple wooden palisade, it had been low enough to see over and acted more as a boundary line than a real barrier.

Viridian's wall though was another beast entirely. Eighteen feet tall, four feet thick, it was a solid cliff face of unpainted sandstone topped with a covered walkway, periodic watch towers and cleared of vegetation for at least a dozen feet. Bluntly, it looked like a prison wall, and it slightly terrified me that these people felt it was necessary.

"Identification? " the bored checkpoint guard asked as I reached the front of the line, idly picking at a cold sore on his lip.

I turned my Pokedex around to show my trainer ID screen. The guard glanced over my ID, tapped his own Pokedex to mine and grunted before eying me critically. I couldn’t help but notice his gaze focusing on my piercings and my few showing tattoos.

"Carrying any Pokémon?" he asked.

"Two, an Eevee and a Mareep," I answered, showing him the two PokeBalls on my belt. I’d returned Ace to his Luxury Ball earlier so he didn’t get bored in line and wander off.

The guard grunted again and tapped at his Pokedex screen.

"Go on in," the guard said, waving me through the checkpoint, immediately forgetting me as he turned to the next person in line.

I let out a breath and entered the city. With how people had been reacting to me since I’d arrived in this world, I had half expected he wouldn’t let me in.

Beyond the arched gateway, paved roads ran in a grid between rows of one- and two-story homes clustered tightly together, becoming larger and nicer looking as one headed towards the city centre, while those closest to the wall showed obvious signs of neglect and lower income.

While not quite slum levels, more than one wall-adjacent block was dominated by cheap Japanese-style danchi, or government supplied, apartments.

The buildings also gradually grew in height the further they got from the walls, eventually culminating in a number of modern looking towers of glass and concrete clustering together at the city’s heart like a cyst.

I am sure by Pokémon World standards Viridian is a decent sized city. It stands as the Kanto-side gateway to Indigo City and the Pokémon League headquarters, after all, and is supposedly the biggest exporter of Caterpie silk in the world, but compared to the cities of my world, it just wasn’t very impressive.

Moving to the side of the road, I released Ace and scooped him up to ride on the top of my pack so he wouldn't get stepped on.

"Alright, buddy," I said to the fuzzball as I tapped through icons on my Pokedex. "First stop, thataway!"

Stepping back into the flow of traffic through the gate, I let it carry us along east towards the distant docks and the Azure Sea beyond.

Unlike my world, the Pokémon World hadn’t yet discovered the magic of the Global Positioning System, a fact attributed to the staggering number of Pokémon that could actually be found living in the planet’s orbit, but they did have a clever work around.

Based on the ability of several Pokémon species to navigate via the planet’s magnetic field, namely the Nosepass and Magnemite lines, researchers had found a way to not only map the magnetic field but also use it to pinpoint a person’s exact location anywhere in the world.

The truly brilliant part was that the system needed nothing more complex than a pocket sized Pokedex. No expensive satellites to launch, no radio towers for wild Pokémon to knock over. Just a tiny electronic sensor that worked anywhere on the planet.

And so, one eye on the road in front of me and the other on the electronic blip on my Pokedex’s map, I made my way deeper into the city.

—

"I'm sure this is the right address," I said to Ace.

I knocked at the door again and glanced back down the filthy alley towards the main road.

Had I misread the map?

As part of my deal with the Pokémon League, in exchange for money and support, I wasn't allowed to reveal anything about my old world. That included accidentally or allowing someone to take the information from me. It should have been easy enough. Keep my mouth shut and don't write anything down. But since this was a world where not only Psychic-type Pokémon existed but human psychics too, things got a bit more complicated.

To keep my memories to myself and stop any old mind-reader picking them off me without me even realising, I needed a Psychic-type Pokémon of my own to protect me. Long-term, the plan was for Ace to evolve into an Espeon, but unfortunately, even at the rate he was growing, that was still weeks or, more likely, months away.

Travelling Route 1, the risk of a wandering mind-reader was small enough we could get away with the temporary protection Oak's Espeon, Queenie, had placed on me before we’d left. But now that I'd reached a bustling city, I needed more active protection.

And so, following a scrawled address given to me by Professor Gary Oak, I'd come here, to a random door in a grotty little lane way that smelled of rotting garbage and piss. I was about to give up and take my chances without protection when the door opened a crack and a blood-shot eye peered out at me.

"Whatdoyouwant?" the voice demanded, speaking much too fast.

"Yeah, hi. Oak sent me," I told the eye.

"You the aide?" the voice asked. It was a male voice. Older, if I had to guess, with a vaguely Chinese accent like the shopkeeper from the first Gremlins movie.

Oh god, has Oak sent me to pick up a Mogwai?

"Field Researcher," I corrected him, though I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like I had I earned the title or it meant anything to me.

"Goooood, goooood," he said, drawing the word out creepily. "Come in, come in!"

The eye disappeared and the door swung open with a creak revealing a small room, poorly lit by a single naked bulb hanging from the ceiling, stuffed to overflowing with cardboard boxes. They were everywhere. They covered the floors, were stacked on top of each other, lined up on shelves and even used as furniture apparently.

Upon each was scrawled indecipherable glyphs that I recognised as the Unown language.

At the center of the room a lab-coat clad man with long white hair grinned madly at me from his throne of cardboard boxes.

"Oak called ahead," the man said. "Said you needed old Florey’s seeeeeervices, hehehe."

"That’s you? Professor Florey?" I asked, trying not to shudder.

What the fuck, Oak? This dude is seriously creepy!

"Oh yes, that’s ME!" he said, suddenly shouting the word ‘me’. "But it’s not really me you want. Oh no, no, no."

"Look man, Oak said you could help until my Eevee evolves," I said, raising my hands and taking a step back. "But I don’t want any trouble."

He cocked his head at me.

"Oh, no trouble, dear," he said, his demeanour flipping like a switch, his accent replaced by a posh, almost British one. Or was it Galarian?

A green and white bird swooped down from a stack of boxes and landed on his shoulder, causing me to jump and Ace to growl threateningly.

A freaking Xatu?

I reached up and calmed the Eevee with a pat.

"Don’t mind my poor George, I’m afraid his mind isn’t what it used to be," said the old guy in his new posh voice.

"What the hell is going on here?" I demanded. "You are seriously freaking me out right now."

"Apologies," the man said, bowing slightly. "My name is Xavier, and this is my trainer, George."

I eyed the pair.

"I’m talking to the bird right now, aren’t I?" I asked.

"Oh, you are a clever one!" said Xavier the Xatu, speaking through the man named George. "No wonder Oak likes you!"

"Yeah, about that," I said. "I was told I should come find you as soon as I arrived, so here I am."

"You are an Otherworlder in need of mental protection, correct?" Xavier/George asked.

"Fuck me, Oak. What happened to SecOps?" I said, throwing my hands in the air. "Yeah, that’s me, the girl who fell out of the sky."

"Excellent!" Xaiver/George exclaimed. "Tell me, are you aware of my species and what we are capable of?"

"Uh, I know you’re a Xatu and you’re a Pyschic-type, but I had no idea you could take control of people like meat puppets," I replied, feeling very uncomfortable in the cramped room.

"Oh, no, dear. It’s nothing like that, I assure you. George and I are soulbonded," Xaiver/George explained.

I raised an eyebrow.

"It is difficult to explain in terms that you may understand, but you might consider it similar to a mate," Xaiver/George continued. “Or a spouse, in human terms.”

"You two are hooking up?" I blurted in surprise.

"As I said, it’s not something that can be explained in something as crude as words," Xavier/George said.

"No, no," I said quickly. "I get it. You’ve got like a Vulcan mind-meld thing going on. Whatever works for you, man, I don’t judge."

The Xatu, Xavier, cocked its head at me and I felt something brush against the back of my eyeballs. I don’t know how else to explain it. It was like the brush of a spider across my skin but the skin was my brain, and it made me gag.

"I see," Xavier/George said. "Your world's media is quite fascinating."

"Don’t, ugh, don’t you ever do that, uuuugh, do that again," I said, struggling not to vomit.

"Oh, my, I do apologise once more," Xavier/George said. "You seem to have an extremely sensitive mind. Few would have even noticed my touch. Have you had training?"

I glared at the bird Pokémon and shook my head.

"Can’t say I have," I told it. "Psychics aren’t really a thing where I come from. Now, can we get on with what I came here for?"

"Of course, dear, of course," Xavier/George said. "Please, take this."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The human man, George, reached into a labcoat pocket and handed me a cheap looking necklace with a PokeBall charm hanging from it. It looked like children’s jewellery but I eyed it suspiciously anyway.

"I have imprinted my psychic impression upon that charm," Xaiver/George explained. "So long as you wear it and you remain within the walls of this city, I will be able to protect your mind wherever you are."

"Alright," I said, nodding my understanding. "But why is it so ugly?"

"That’s the genius of it," Xavier/George said, grinning. "A cheap children’s charm? No one will look twice at it, let alone steal it."

Huh. Alright, that was kind of clever, actually.

“Are you aware that my kind can see possible futures?” Xavier/George asked.

“Uh, I think I read that somewhere,” I said. “I thought it was more like a story or something.”

“Oh no, dear, it’s quite true,” they said. “In order to evolve into a Xatu, we must face the future, see all the possibilities and all the what-ifs, and then we must look away or be ensnared, doomed to starve to death while we live a trillion trillion lives.”

“Um, okay,” I said. “That’s pretty cool, but I’m not sure what your point is.”

“I see a strong connection between you and your Eevee,” they continued. “You care about each other very much.”

“Well, yeah. He’s my little dude,” I said, patting Ace on my shoulder. “We’ve got each others back, right buddy?”

Ace yipped in agreement.

“I see two paths laid out before you and they,” Xaiver/George said. “Two possible futures. Two potential evolutions.”

Huh. I bet that’s Espeon and Sylveon. Can’t be Umbreon, we never train at night. I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t pick up any Fairy-type moves.

“Ace and I are working hard to help him become Espeon,” I told them. “We know our path.”

“Then I wish you well in achieving it,” they replied.

"Listen, you wouldn’t have a black marker or felt tip pen, by chance?" I asked them.

Xavier/George tilted their heads at me in unison, then started rummaging around the boxes before producing a black sharpie. Taking the offered pen, I popped the cap and quickly coloured the red part of the PokeBall charm black.

"There, that’s more my style,” I said and slipped the charm around my neck.

—

Back on the street, my new psychic protection charm safely around my neck, the sun was getting low and I judged it would disappear behind the Silver mountains to the west in the next hour or so.

Curious, I pulled out my Pokedex and brought up the website for the Viridian City Gym.

Opening hours 7am - 7pm.

I checked the map. It wasn’t exactly close, being located towards the north of the city while I was still in the south, but I figured I should be able to get there before they closed.

"Feel like checking out the Gym, Ace?" I asked the Eevee, giving him a scratch under his chin. He chirped what I took as agreement from my right shoulder and we set off.

Escaping the fetid alley where Professor Florey kept his office, or whatever that had been, we made our way back to the main streets and headed north.

It seemed like rush hour was the same in this world as in mine, as the city was packed with people and Pokémon heading home for the day or visiting one of the numerous small restaurants that seemed to line every street, the smells of cooking meat drifting on the cooling air.

Unlike the hot mess that was Vancouver’s streets, Viridian City was laid out in a fairly easy to navigate grid, its wide streets lined with trees and frequent parks that gave it a pleasant green vibe to go with the name.

A sudden ding-ding caught my attention and I moved aside as a rickshaw pulled by a burly Machoke passed by.

Huh. That’s not a bad idea.

Looking around, it didn’t take me long to find a line of rickshaws being tended to by a man in bright, mismatched clothes, a team of Machoke standing with their arms crossed or lazing on the ground nearby.

"Hello," I said to the man, trying not to stare at the neon green shit he had tucked into a billowing pair of bright pink pants. "Can I get a ride to the Pokémon Gym?"

"Of course!" the man said, clapping his hands to get the attention of his Machoke. "You’re new here, right? Just arrived? A trainer on her journey, perhaps?"

"Ah, yeah," I said. Damn, was I that obvious. "I’m going to register at the gym."

"Ah, I remember my journey," he said, wiggling his head back and forth. "Such fond memories."

"Yeah, it’s been a blast," I said blandly. "So can you get me to the Gym? They close in a couple of hours and-"

"Of course! Of course!" the man said and gestured to a rickshaw. I took the hint and climbed up into it. I looked back down and saw he was holding up his Pokedex. I tapped mine to it and it chimed.

"For you, we will do the Special tour, you see all the sights!" he exclaimed, slapping the Machoke on the back. "Special tour, number four!"

"No wait!" I tried to call, but it was too late, the Machoke was already pulling out into the street.

I sighed and sat back in the wooden seat beneath the sunshade.

Oh well, at least I don’t have to walk.

Despite my misgivings, the Machoke set a good pace and the ride was much smoother than I’d expected. Deciding to enjoy myself, I gazed around at the city as it passed me by, pointing out sights to Ace.

Much like Pallet Town, Viridian City was much cleaner than I was used to cities being. No trash on the streets, no graffiti sprayed on walls. Maybe they employed Pokemon to keep it clean, I wasn’t sure. It was also a vibrant city, alive with people and Pokemon. Everywhere we looked, banners hung between streetlights. Lampposts had announcements taped to them. Walls were plastered with posters advertising goods, films and events.

We passed a park with a pond where two trainers were having a battle between Water-types, a small crowd watching, then down an alley into a street festooned with coloured decorations. I pointed out a Flareon to Ace, the majestic Fire-type walking down the street beside its trainer. The way its mane flowed like real fire, was a lot more impressive than in the games. Ace called out to it and the Flareon gave him a friendly roar, much to his delight.

Though trainer Pokémon seemed few and far between, we saw wild Pokémon everywhere. Pidgey perched on signs, Rattata running through alleys, and the occasional Meowth having found a warm spot to sleep in.

Before long, the sun began to set and electric street lights flickered on overhead. We watched as lamps sprang to life in a nearby park, illuminating a path that crossed a small stream filled with splashing Pokémon.

It was actually quite a pretty city, I had to admit.

With a bump, the rickshaw pulled into one of the countless laneways between streets. I thought nothing of it as we’d passed through several already, with many being home to cafes or interesting buildings, so I hadn’t been paying attention when we suddenly stopped.

"Yo, what’s going on? Why did we stop?" I called out to the Machoke, its bulk a shadowy silhouette in the dark lane.

The Machoke didn’t reply. Ace growled low in my ear and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Step out of the ride nice and slow," a man’s voice ordered from the dark, low and gravelly. "Hands where we can see them."

I froze, my muscles locking up like a rabbit caught in headlights, unable to force my body into action.

"Ain’t no use hiding in there," said the voice. "You really don’t want us coming in there to get you."

"I- I have Pokémon!" I warned the voice. "I’ll use them!"

Would I though? I was trembling. I could barely think through the pounding of my heart in my ears.

"And you think we don’t?" came the reply.

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

What was I thinking? Of course they had Pokémon of their own. Everyone had Pokémon. And was the Machoke in on it? It had to be, right? Why else would it have brought me here? Ace couldn’t fight a Machoke.

"Alright," I called, desperately trying to think of something. "I’m coming out!"

Clutching Ace to my chest, I grabbed my pack from where I’d placed it on the seat beside me and climbed down.

A pair of shadowy figures stepped away from the walls of the buildings to either side and surrounded me. With the light from the end of the lane behind them, I couldn’t make out any details, but I could tell they were a lot bigger than me.

"Hand over the pack, your PokeBalls and anything in your pockets," the voice demanded from the shadow on the right. "Don’t make a scene and no one gets hurt."

Ace bared his fangs and growled in my arms.

"You can have my stuff," I said, dropping my pack on the ground between us. "Just let us go."

"And the Pokémon," said a second voice, this one slightly higher but with more of an edge to it. I immediately decided he was the more likely to hurt me of the two.

"I’ve got a Mareep," I told the two men, slowly reaching to take the PokeBall from my belt. "You can have her, but please don’t take my Eevee. He’s all I have."

"Shit," spat Edge. "A Mareep? Ain’t you got anything good?"

"Shut it, man," Gravel told him. "The Eevee’ll get a good price."

"Fuck that, look at it," Edge retorted. "It’s a fucking runt."

I flinched when Edge suddenly snatched up my pack and started rifling through it, tossing my clothes on the street.

"Nothing in here but shit!" he shouted, throwing the pack on the ground, its contents spilling out.

He took a step towards me and I cowered, covering Ace with my arms, desperate to not let them take him from me. And that’s when all hell broke loose.

Dropped from my shaking hands, Sooty was freed in a flash of red light and ungulate rage. I hit the ground, throwing myself on top of Ace, as Thunder Shocks shot out in every direction, revealing my attackers in flashes of blinding light.

Gravel was a big man, broad and jacked, sporting a bushy beard and arms the size of tree trunks that sprouted from his pristine white tank top, while Edge was a thin, weasel like guy with a long white scar that ran from his forehead, across one eye and down to his lips.

Caught by surprise, the pair took direct hits from the feral Mareep’s Thunder Shock, the intense electrical attacks causing their muscles to seize and dropping them to the ground.

Spinning around, Sooty locked eyes with me and I nearly pissed myself when I saw the recognition there.

SHIT!

Scrabbling across the ground, I grabbed for the Mareep’s PokeBall and thrust it out towards the Pokémon, the red beam catching it mid a Tackle that would have easily caved my skull in.

Stumbling to my feet, I grabbed my pack and shoved my stuff back inside, not caring to check if I had everything, snatched up Ace and ran.

I just ran.

—

The interior of the Pokémon Center was similar enough to the games to be recognizable at first glance, only so much bigger than I’d expected.

Beyond the automatic glass doors that opened with a soft hiss at our approach, a brightly lit waiting room played host to a number of laminate tables with garish orange plastic chairs and equally ugly orange vinyl couches, many currently occupied by an eclectic group of people and their Pokémon.

Above the sitting areas, large flat screen televisions were mounted to the walls, silently displaying news broadcasts or battle highlights, while off to the side of the room, a bank of computers sat neatly lined up, a sign above proclaiming them free to use.

And just like in the games, directly across from the front doors, a nurse sat behind a polished counter, smiling brightly as she chatted with trainers.

Sadly, she wasn’t a bubblegum pink haired Nurse Joy.

As I approached the counter, she eyed my disheveled state and the filthy Eevee riding on my shoulder, her eyes lingering on my piercings. A simple white nametag on her shirt read "Nurse Claire".

"Hi," I said, tiredly. "I'd like a room please."

"Of course Miss," she replied with a slight accent that I wasn’t able to place. "Are you a licensed trainer?"

"I’m not," I said. "I was on my way to register at the gym, but… I didn’t make it."

"As you’re not yet a licensed trainer, we are not able to offer you a room for free," she explained.

"That's fine," I told her, holding out my Pokedex.

“Are you comfortable with a shared trainer dormitory or would you prefer a room?” she asked.

“A room, please,” I said.

Nurse Clair nodded and tapped her own Pokedex against mine. It chimed.

"Thank you very much," she said, confirming the funds had cleared and handed me a keycard. "You’re on the third floor."

"Thank you, you have no idea how bad I need a shower," I said with a forced smile.

"Oh, I assure you, I do," she said..

I felt my face turning red.

Oh well. Anyone would stink after three days of what we've been through.

"Would you like us to give your Pokémon a check over?" she asked as I turned to leave.

I paused. Apart from getting muddy, Ace hadn’t actually taken any damage from the muggers.

"No," I said. "He just needs a bath too."

The room I’d been given was nothing special. Single bed, television mounted above, a microwave and a small table in the corner. A door led to a tiny bathroom including toilet and shower.

It was cozy. I liked cozy. Cozy felt safe.

Kind of reminds me of my apartment back home, only without the tiny kitchenette.

Ace seemed fine with cozy too, happily sniffing everything in the room, before jumping up on the bed and settling in.

"Oh no," I told him, pushing him off the bed. "You are getting a bath before you get into my bed."

After I bathed Ace, the little Eevee easily fitting in the cramped sink, fed him his dinner and settled him for the night, I finally stripped off my filthy clothes and stepped into my own shower.

Hot water pounded against my skull as I pressed my forehead to the cool tiles of the shower wall and finally let the fear I’d been holding in since they’d first stepped from the shadows to block my path wrack my shaking body. I gasped for breath, a ragged sob forcing itself way out of me and I slid to the floor.

I could have died.

For the second time since coming to this godforsaken world, I’d come face to face with death. I’d lived my entire life in a major metropolitan city. I thought I understood the risks and how to avoid putting myself in danger, but I’d been overconfident. I’d let Viridian City’s size, barely the size of a neighborhood back home, lower my defenses. And I’d nearly paid for it with my life.

When the water finally ran clear of the past three days' dirt, I scrubbed my hair and body, brushed my teeth and toweled off.

Naked, I peered at myself in the foggy mirror. Pale, scrawny, small tits. Scared. Lonely.

I pushed the tears back down and dragged my pajamas on before trying and failing to run a comb through my damp, lank hair.

Exiting the bathroom and dropping onto the bed beside Ace, I took a moment to reconsider the choices that had led here.

It wasn’t too late. I could turn around and go back to Pallet Town. Back to Oak and Penny and a safe life as a lab aide. It wouldn’t be so bad, really. I’d get to spend time with Pokémon and learn from a famous researcher. I could get my own place, with a nice yard for Ace to run around in. Maybe meet someone and settle down.

I was still chasing my own thoughts around my head when sleep finally took me.